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  Portland, Oregon, United States
Thursday, September 11, 2008

Portland - Oregon & Poulsbo - Washington
Portland is the capital of Oregon with a population of 568,000, it sits on the Columbia river in the shadow of a perfectly formed volcano called Mt Hood. It is an attractive city and has been called the greenest city in the USA. It has a great public transport infrastructure with all bus and tram rides in the city centre area being free. We were told this by the assistant in the local visitor centre we visited on arrival, she was really helpful and gave us the low down on the area and the best places to visit.
We were lucky enough to visit on a Saturday when they have a fabulous market. As we stepped off the tram we could hear some music so headed in that direction, there we found a small stage surrounded with tables and a number of stalls selling an array of different foods, as well as a beer stall. So after difficult decisions, it all sounded so good, we sat down in front of the band and enjoyed our Middle Eastern lunch and a glass of Alaskan beer. We then crossed the tram track to the craft market on the opposite side, here there was every craft to be found, from jewellery to pottery and homemade textiles to metalwork. It's a good job Julie has no room in her bag or I could have ended up with a large dent in my wallet! 
On day two we decided to drive along the Old Columbia River gorge, here we were given spectacular views of the Columbia river from the cliffs as well as a number of waterfalls, the tallest being Multnomah Falls which fall 620ft.

Portland

After a stop at a pharmacy to pick up some pain relief for my toothache we continued on to the Mount Hood Scenic Byway. This is a beautiful drive that provides an awe-inspiring view of the dormant volcano, as well as the many fruit orchards and vineyards that line each side of the highway. 
Heading north we drove through the Mount Rainier National Park an area of outstanding natural beauty, the views were just stunning. Afterwards we continued on
to stay with my cousin Valerie and her husband Dave. They had invited us to stay with them at their lovely home near Poulsbo. This is either a ferry ride across the Puget Sound or an hour and a half drive around the coast. Poulsbo has a long history as a destination for immigrants from Scandinavia, particularly Norway and Finland, and has maintained a Scandinavian theme in its shops and restaurants with many crafts and speciality bakers. If you are visiting Seattle we would highly recommend a visit to this small town.
We had a wonderful evening with Valerie and Dave, they live in a lovely wood cabin surrounded by a forest of tall fir trees. It really is in a beautiful location. We were fortunate to see their local red crested woodpecker who came down to the bird bath for a drink, we have only seen them from a distance so it was great to see one so chose. For our meal we were given a rare treat of Alaskan King Crab which was huge and absolutely delicious, then Dave BBQ'd some enormous steaks while Valerie cooked some sea bass for her and Julie, the diet is going really well!! Thanks to you both for a great evening. Dave slow down mate your are really giving me something to live up to! And I just can't do that Irish dance as well as you! 
After an early start we drove around the bay to board our flight down to San Francisco. Dave I really do appreciate you getting up at 5.30am to cook us breakfast, just so sorry the tooth was still playing me up and I couldn't indulge, but Julie very much enjoyed hers!

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1-Portland	Multnomah Falls	Mt Hood	Mt Rainier
Poulsbo	Big Steaks!

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